Cable-grip detacher



(No Model.)

H. O. GRAWE.

CABLE GRIP DETAGHERI No. 386,196; Patented July 17, 1888.

o o 0 /v Ilia II/fl!!! A est/ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN C. GRAW'E, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CABLE-GRIP DETACHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 386,196, dated July 17,1888.

Application filed January 7, 1888. Serial No. 260,077. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERMAN O. GRAWE, of St. Louis, Missouri, have made anew and useful Improvement in Cable-Gri p Dctachers, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

In cable-railway practice it is occasionally necessary to extend oneline of cable across another line of cable, in which case the secondcable is carried, in the form of a loop, beneath and past the firstcable. In forming the loop the cable is carried around three pulleys,two of which are located at the sides, respectively, of the gapcontaining the loop and the third one above the bight of the loop at thebottom of the gap. At such a crossing the grip of the car using thesecond or looped cable must be entirely detached from the cable, partlyto prevent interference with the first cable and partly to preventinterference with the pulleys at the sides of the gap, and after passingthe crossing the grip is attached to its cable before it drops to thelevel of the general series of pulleys used in supporting the cable, forthe two pulleys mentioned as being at the sides of the gap are arrangedat a higher level than that of the general series of pulleys and atabout the level of the cable when upheld by the grip, and to providcforpassing those two pulleys the cable-tube slot at the crossing is bent toone side sufficiently to cause the griplever to be slanted to the sideof the cable and pulleys, and thereby to clear. the pulleys. The grip issupposed also to be released from the cable as the crossing isapproached in ordcr that no lateral strain shall be exerted upon thecable or pulleys. Difficult-y, however, is cxperiencd in this respect.The person in charge of the grip, from inattcntion or other cause,sometimes fails to loosen the grip-lever pawl, or the pawl and grip, orthe grip, and the grip in consequence retains its hold upon the cableeven when it is swung to one side, as described, and the undesiredinterference or strain occurs, and generally with disastrous results.

To provide so that the grip shall of itself become detached from thecable in the position named is the aim of the present improvement, whichconsists, substantially, as follows: The cable-tube slot at the crossingis not only bent laterally, as described, but is also elevated. Theelevated portion in length conforms to the width of the crossing, and itmay be said to agree with the lateral offset or bend in the slotthat is,the elevated portion corresponds in length with the offset, and thevertical inclines at the ends, respectively, of the elevated portioncorrespond in position substantially with the lateral inclinations atthe ends, respectively, of the offset. Ooacting with such an elevatedportion of the slot is a part connected with and movable vertically uponthe car-grip or grip-frame, and in such movement acting either directlyor indirectly upon the griplever pawl and so as to effect thedisengagement of the pawl from its ratchet as the cross ing isapproached, to keep it disengaged until the crossing is passed and toeffect the re-engagement of the pawl immediately afterward.

An additional feature of the improvement is a part connected moreespecially with the movable jaw of the grip, which also is elevated bycoming in contact with the elevated portion of the slot, and therebymade to effect the opening of the movable jaw, so that not only shallthe grip-lever pawl be made free from the ratchet, in order that thegrip itself may be opened, but also that the grip may be automaticallydetached from the cable, and after the crossing is passed to allow themovblc jaw to close again upon the cable.

The most desirable mode of carrying out the improvement is shown in theannexed drawings, making part of this specification, in which Figure 1is a vertical longitudinal section taken through the cable-tube slot atthe general level thereof, the grip being shown and as attached to thecable. Fig. 2 is a view analogous to that of Fig. 1, but showing thegrip at the elevated portion of the slot, and the parts adjusted as whenthe grip is opened and detached from the cable; Fig. 3, a front edgeview of the grip detached, the cable-tube slot being shown in verticalcross-section; Fig. 4, a plan of the cable-tube slot at the crossing,and Fig. 5 a side elevation of the part shown in Fig. 4.

The same letters of reference denote the same parts.

A represents the section of the cable-tube slot used at the crossingreferred to above. Its elevated portion is shown at a, and the verticalinclines are shown at a a, respectively. The elevated portion issubstantially coextensive with the offset a, Fig. 4, and the verticalinclines a a ,with the lateral inclines a a respectively.

0 represents the cable, which is carried under the other or first cable,which is not shown.

D represents the grip, which, saving as it is supplemented or modifiedby theimprovement under consideration, is ofany ofthe customary forms.

E represents the fixed jaw; F, the movable jaw; G, the grip-lever; H,the link which joins the movable jaw and grip-lever; I, the gripleverpawl; and J, the segment with which the pawl coacts, all which parts, asstated, are of the usual construction.

K represents a roller journaled in the outer end, I, of an arm, L, whichat Z is in turn journaled to the frame of the fixed jaw E. A rod, M,journaled at its lower end to the arm L, extends upward and is jointedat m to a curved lever, N, which in turn is pivoted to the grip-frame atn. The curve a of the lever N is parallel with that of the segment Jthatis, the lever is shaped and arranged to occupy the arc of a circle whosecenter is the fulcrum of the grip-lever. A rod, 0, pivoted at o to thepawl I, extends thence downward, and at 0 is pivoted to an arm, 1?. Thislast-named arm is journaled at p to the grip-lever, and at its outer endit is provided with a roller, which rides upon the curved lever N. Aslong as the car is off the crossing the roller K (the curved lever Nbeing upheld by some suitable stop, say, the keeper,

Q) does not encounter the tube-slot; but on approaching the crossing theroller K en counters theineline a and rides upward upon and along theelevated portion a. This effects the raising of the parts L M N O P andthe pawl I. The grip-lever and movable grip'jaw are now free to bemoved, and their movement is effected, preferably, by means of theroller R, which is journaled upon the movable jaw. The roller Bencounters the elevated portion a after the roller K has been lifted,and the movable jaw is thereby raised, so that the cable is free to bedrawn sidewise therefrom, as indicated in Fig. 3. The movablejawcommunicates its movement to the grip-lever, and the parts assume theposition shown substantially in Fig. 2. The rollers K R successivelypass down the incline a, whereupon they, with the parts respectivelythereto attached, drop by gravity and the cable falls again into thegrip, which closes upon the cable. The entire operation therefore isprovided for irrespective of the assistance of the person in charge ofthe grip. I desire not to be limited to the means shown for transmittingthe move ment of the rollers K It to the pawl and grip lever, asdescribed, although I prefer the means exhibited. The rod M might, forinstance, be

connected with the roller R, to be lifted thereby. The curve of thelever N conforms to that of the segment, to suit the grip-lever whenturned. The keeper Q, is -a strap attached at its ends to the grip-leverand between its ends bent outward to admit the lever N, which, when atitslowest level, rests upon the keeper at the lower end thereof, asshown, and when raised can move upward between the keeper andgrip-lever.

I,claim-- l. The elevated and bent cable-tube slot, in combination witha vertically-movable part upon the car-grip, as and for the purposedescribed.

2. A cable-tube slot having an elevated and bent portion, as and for thepurpose described.

3. The combination of a tube-slot elevated and bent, as described, withthe movable jaw of the grip, said movablejaw having a roller or otherprojection for encountering said elevated and bent tubeslot, as and forthe purpose described. I

4. The combination of a tube-slot elevated and bent as described with acar-grip having two rollers or projections, said rollers or pro jectionsbeing adapted to encounter said elevated and bent tube-slotsuccessively, and being respectively and either directly or indirectlyconnected with the grip-lever pawl,

and the movable jaw of the grip, substantially as described.

5. The combination, in a car-grip, of the segment, the grip-lever andpawl, the curved and pivoted lever N, the rod 0, and arm P,substantially as described.

6. The combination of the elevated tubeslot, the car-grip having thegrip-lever and pawl, the roller K, the arm L, the arm M, the curved andpivoted lever N, the rod 0, and the arm P, substantially as described.

7. The combination ofthe elevated and bent tube-slot, the car-griphaving the movable jaw, the grip-lever and pawl, the rollers K R, thearm L, the rod M, the curved and pivoted lever N, the rod 0, and the armP, substantially as described.

iro

8. The combination of the grip, the grip- 10. In a cable-grip, the bentlever N, pivv oted at one end, to be moved as described, said leverbeing shaped and arranged to occupy the arc of a circle whose center isthe fulcrum of the grip-lever, and being combined with and operated by apart leading downward therefrom to encounter an elevation in thetubeslot, substantially as described.

11. In a cable-grip, the bent lever N, pivoted to the frame-Work of thegrip, having a the griplever is released, substantially as desegment,and combined With and engaging on scribec. its convex surface theextension of the pawl,

and having connected with it a part leading HERMAN GRAWE' downwardtherefrom, operated by an eleva- -Witnesses: tion in the road-bed,whereby in operation I O. D. MOODY,

the pawl is disconnected with the segment and l FRED. SOHUss, Jr.

